Targeted drug delivery to cancerous tissues using nanomaterials is a challenging task that is fast gaining attention. Here, we report the fabrication of ZnO quantum dots (QDs) encapsulated in the biodegradable copolymer poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles using an electrohydrodynamic atomization process to enhance cytotoxicity against the metastatic cancer A549 cell line. The encapsulation and the small size increased the cellular uptake of the PLGA/ZnO QDs. Furthermore, the PLGA/ZnO QDs are pH-responsive and can therefore target cancerous cells based on the acidic tumor microenvironment, leaving healthy cells less affected. PLGA/ZnO QDs induced cell death and obstructed cell invasion and migration at low concentrations (7.5 µg/mL). We verified these activities through thiazolyl blue, tetrazolium blue (MTT), scratch assay, and clonogenic assays on metastatic A549 cells, with normal human lung cells, Human Small Airway Epithelia Cells (SAECs) as the controls. Thus, PLGA-encapsulated ZnO QDs, owing to their selective localization, ability to enter cells, cytotoxicity, and retention effect, could provide a potential platform for tumor-directed drug therapy.

中文翻译：

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电流体动力学pH响应的PLGA / ZnO量子点在肺癌中的局部传递。

使用纳米材料将药物靶向递送至癌组织是一项具有挑战性的任务，正在迅速引起关注。这里，我们报告的ZnO量子点（QD）的制造包封在可生物降解的共聚物聚（DL-丙交酯-共（乙交酯）（PLGA）纳米粒子使用电流体动力学雾化工艺来增强针对转移性癌症A549细胞系的细胞毒性。封装和小尺寸增加了PLGA / ZnO QD的细胞吸收。此外，PLGA / ZnO QD具有pH响应能力，因此可以基于酸性肿瘤微环境靶向癌细胞，从而使健康细胞受到的影响较小。PLGA / ZnO QD在低浓度（7.5 µg / mL）时会诱导细胞死亡并阻碍细胞的侵袭和迁移。我们通过以正常人肺细胞，人小气道上皮细胞（SAEC）为对照，对转移性A549细胞通过噻唑基蓝，四唑蓝（MTT），刮擦测定和克隆形成测定验证了这些活性。因此，PLGA封装的ZnO QD由于其选择性定位，进入细胞的能力，细胞毒性，